Fazzino murder trial moved to Buchanan County

The trial of a Boone man charged in the slaying of his wife has been moved to Buchanan County.

The trial of a Boone man charged in the slaying of his wife has been moved to Buchanan County.

District Court Judge Michael J. Moon approved a motion by defendant Alexander Fazzino, who is facing charges of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Emily Fazzino, for a change of venue from Boone County. The trial was moved more than 100 miles away to Buchanan County, where it is now scheduled for June 3, 2014. Pre-trial proceedings will continue to take place in Boone County.

The defense had filed the motion for the change of trial based on publicity, citing that the deceased, Emily Fazzino, is the daughter of Fareway Grocery Stores Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board Richard Beckwith, stating “Fareway Stores and the Richard Beckwith family enjoy quasi-celebrity status in Boone County and surrounding communities. Accordingly, there is a likely heightened probability of bias against the defendant.”

The motion also cited “publicized facts that are unfounded” from articles in the Boone News-Republican and Ames Tribune, and also claimed that the Des Moines Register and various television stations have “unfavorably publicized one speculative version of the manner of Emily Fazzino’s death and have unwittingly created an atmosphere of undue prejudice against the defendant.”

In a response, the state did not resist the motion, with Assistant Attorney General Scott D. Brown stating that “there is a substantial likelihood a fair and impartial jury would be very difficult if not impossible to select in Boone County.”

Emily Fazzino was discovered dead at the couple’s home at 1210 Southview Court in Boone on Jan. 29, 2012. According to court documents, the couple had filed for divorce six days earlier.

According to interviews with police, Alexander Fazzino said he was downstairs watching a movie with the couple’s three children while his wife was taking a bath upstairs. After approximately 30 minutes, he noticed the water was still running upstairs and went up to check on his wife – finding her motionless with her head underwater in the bathtub. He said that he pulled her out of the bathtub and called 911.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Fazzino would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.